Breeding Programme Successes in 2019 (so far)

It’s been a busy breeding season so far at the Scottish Owl Centre this year, with several of our pairs successfully hatching and rearing youngsters. Here is a list of the new arrivals we’ve welcomed so far in 2019:

4 x Tengmalm’s Owlets, 2 x Melanistic Barn youngsters, 1 x Magellan Horned owlet, 1 x Band-Bellied youngster, 5 x baby Long-Eared Owls, 1 x American Barn Owlet, 1 x Tropical Screech Owlet, 2 x baby Little Owls, 1 x young Snowy Owl and 3 x Burrowing Owlets.

For some species, they don’t enter their breeding season until later in the year - but these are the youngsters who have hatched so far at the Scottish Owl Centre. Some of these owlets have gone off to other bird of prey keepers to become education ambassadors, whereas others have gone off to become part of future conservation breeding programmes for their kind. Some still remain here at the Centre alongside their parents in our aviaries.

Our breeding seasons yield varying successes each year, just as breeding success would fluctuate in the wild, too. Owls are never guaranteed to successfully rear youngsters every single year as they are always impacted by environmental factors like weather, temperature, age, predators, interference, nest-site losses, food shortages etc. Our owls at the Centre never have to worry about predators, food shortage, nest-site loss or interference - but the other environmental factors can still affect them. Therefore, breeding season is always an extremely exciting yet incredibly nerve-wracking time of year for our staff.